Page 27 - Encyclopedia Of World History

cold war 377

Dividing Berlin during the Cold War

The exchange below took place during the week after Soviet Reply To Identic Notes Dated August 17
the closing of the border between East and West Berlin of United States, United Kingdom, and France
and the erection of the Berlin Wall. For the next eight- on Berlin, 18 August 1961
een years, East Germans would be forbidden from
In connection with the note of the Government of the
crossing into West Germany.
United States of America in August 17, 1961, the
United States Note to the U.S.S.R. on Berlin, Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Repub-
August 17, 1961 lics considers it necessary to state the following:
The Soviet Government fully understands and sup-
The Embassy of the United States presents its com-
ports the actions of the Government of the German
pliments to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and upon
Democratic Republic which established effective con-
instructions of its Government has the honor to
trol on the border with West Berlin in order to bar the
direct the most serious attention of the Government
way for subversive activity being carried out from
of the U.S.S.R. to the following.
West Berlin against the G.D.R. and other countries of
On August 13, East German authorities put into
the socialist community. . .
effect several measures regulating movement at the
West Berlin has been transformed into a center of
boundary of the western sectors and the Soviet sector
subversive activity, diversion, and espionage, into a
of the city of Berlin.These measures have the effect of
center of political and economic provocations
limiting, to a degree approaching complete prohibi-
against the G.D.R., the Soviet Union, and other
tion, passage from the Soviet sector to the western
socialist countries. Former and present West Berlin
sectors of the city.These measures were accompanied
municipal leaders have cynically called West Berlin
by the closing of the sector boundary by a sizable
an “arrow in the living body of the German Demo-
deployment of police forces and by military detach-
cratic Republic,” a “front city,” a “violator of tran-
ments brought into Berlin for this purpose....
quility,” the “cheapest atom bomb put in the center
By the very admission of the East German author-
of a socialist state” . . .
ities, the measures which have just been taken are
Source: Lincoln,W. B. (1968). Documents in world history, 1945–1967 (pp. 70–72). San
motivated by the fact that an ever increasing number Francisco: Chandler Publishing Company.
of inhabitants of East Germany wish to leave this ter-
ritory.The reasons for this exodus are known.They
are simply the internal difficulties in East Germany.

the worldwide revolution that had been advocated by The situation in Korea also deteriorated rapidly. The
Lenin, had emerged in China in the 1930s. The Com- removal of Korea from Japanese control had been one of
munist and non-Communist parties in China had the stated objectives of the allies inWorldWar II. Prior to
attempted to cooperate after the Japanese invasion but the surrender of Japan in 1945, the United States and the
had been largely unsuccessful and both groups were Soviet Union had occupied the country, temporarily
anticipating a renewed struggle after the defeat of Japan. dividing it at the thirty-eighth parallel.The allies planned
In 1949, the Nationalist government fled to Taiwan and to hold elections after the restoration of peace and allow
Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China. the newly elected government to rule an independent
The United States refused to recognize Mao’s govern- Korea. However, tensions between the United States and
ment, instead maintaining ties to the Nationalist govern- the Soviet Union had led to the establishment of separate
ment in Taiwan.The United States lamented the “loss of governments in North and South Korea.The Communist
China” and vowed to take whatever steps were necessary government in North Korea, with the approval of Stalin
to prevent the spread of Communism throughout Asia. and the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea on 25 June